to soften the harsh edges of feudal warfare and knights were expected to treat their fellow knights and inferiors with respect and good will. The new code, which was established in the eleventh century, during the Crusades, prohibited knights from attacking the unarmed, and stressed that the good knight fought for glory and Christian purposes instead of mere profit and gain. Following, are the ten commandments(Gautier 9) of chivalry as stated by Leon Gautier in his book La Chevalerie:I. Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions. II. Thou shalt defend the Church. III. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them. IV. Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born. V. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy. VI. Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy. VII. Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God. VIII. Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word. IX. Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone. X. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.(10) The early Middle Ages were chaotic times in European history. However, the age of chivalry brought a period of renewed stability to the continent. During this peaceful time the church tried to curb the warlike nature of feudalism by adopting programs know as the Peace of God and the Truce of God. The Peace of God made it forbidden for knights to attack peasants, women, priests and merchants. While the Truce of God prohibited battle on Sundays and holy days. Although the Church lacked the power to enforce these rules, they displayed a set of new values emerging in contrast to the brutal warfare that had been part of living in feudal Europe in the ninth and tenth centuries. Another major influence on the evolution of chivalry w...
